After our excursion to Jungfrau, we boarded the train to go back to Zurich. We were flying back to Madrid the next day. We arrived in Zurich just before sunset, but fortunately, our hotel, the Limmatblick Hotel Zurich, was located near the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (central station) in Zurich.

Location of the Limmatblick Hotel Zurich

One of the best features of the Limmatblick Hotel is its location. It is located opposite the Limmat River in Zurich and within walking distance from the main shopping area and the Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main station).

When I booked this hotel, I was excited. The location meant not having to take a tram anywhere, but that we could explore the old historic buildings in central Zurich on foot. I remembered my walks from my previous trip to Zurich and was looking forward to repeating the experience.

The reception area of the Limmatblick Hotel Zurich

The reception area of the Limmatblick Hotel is located in the restaurant area downstairs. We were a bit confused when we first arrived – the sign outside was located on the second floor of the building and indicated that the hotel was there, but the eating area and bar made us feel unsure of how to get to the second floor. We could not see where else the reception area could be and asked at the bar counter.

The outside of Hotel Limmatblick Zurich – the grey building in the middle

Lucky for us the barman was also the receptionist for the hotel. He was friendly, handed our keys to us and we quickly sorted out the paperwork.

From here we had to use the elevator to get to our floor. There is only one lift for the hotel and it was tiny. The two of us with our luggage (hand luggage only) barely fit.

On the walls of the elevator had newspaper articles and advertisements of events happening in the area. I thought this was a nice touch as it was the perfect place for such advertisements – everyone staying at the hotel would probably use the elevator.

Our room at the Limmatblick Hotel Zurich

Our room was named after Augusto Giacometti, a Swiss painter. I think all the rooms had names of Swiss painters.

We struggled to unlock our room door. Just before we could give up and go back to the receptionist, the door opened. We were not sure what exactly worked, but we were happy to finally be able to rest.

The room was small. It featured a double bed, flatscreen television mounted on the wall and a small round table right at the entrance.

Hotel Limmatblick Zurich – bedroom from the door

The room appeared modern and comfortable.

The bathroom was also small and consisted of a shower, toilet, and basin.

Hotel Limmatblick Zurich – bathroom

When I booked the website, everyone was recommending the hotel because of its views of the river. We did not have a river view, but a view of the residences and restaurants behind the hotel. I didn’t mind, it made me feel good to know I was in the heart of Zurich.

Our night at the Limmatblick Hotel

We decided to get ready for bed and have a quiet night watching television.

Hotel Limmatblick Zurich – the view from our room

We both showered. The shower stall was small. My travel partner is a very lean guy and he had difficulty getting in the shower and closing the door. I am not as lean as he was and it was even more of a struggle for me. Once inside, the water pressure and temperature were excellent.

Then we wanted to relax and watch television. The television did not work. We thought of complaining but decided to watch Netflix on the iPad instead. At least we had no issues with the wifi, and the speed was good.

It was summer and our room felt stuffy and hot. We looked around for the button to turn the air conditioner on but soon realized there was no air conditioning. We had experienced this before in Switzerland, but in such a compact room airconditioning is essential. There was a fan, but it was noisy and since there was only one plug point, we could not charge our mobile phones and use the fan simultaneously.

We decided to open the window for some fresh air. Once opened, the room cooled down significantly.

The bed was comfortable, but we soon realized that we would not be getting much sleep. Opposite the hotel, there was a restaurant and inside a party was happening. The patrons of the restaurant were having a good time and were singing loudly. It did not look like they would stop too soon.

And they didn’t. Eventually around 23:00 it did become quiet, and we were finally able to sleep. It started raining, so we had to close the window (and the fresh air from it). We had no choice but to use the fan throughout the night.

Breakfast at the Hotel Limmatblick Zurich

We were tired the next morning. The bed had been comfortable, but the fan was not strong enough to cool the room down enough for us to have a good rest.

The breakfast spread at the Hotel Limmatblick Zurich

We went down for our complimentary breakfast. The breakfast did not disappoint. There were cold meats, croissants, cheeses, and yogurt. They also offered coffee and juices.

Hotel Limmatblick Zurich – Interesting decor in the restaurant area

The decor in the restaurant area was quirky and unusual. It gave us something to study while eating.

The food was filling and the coffee refreshing.

Our final verdict on the Hotel Limmatblick Zurich

We loved the location of the hotel, but not having air conditioning was a definite negative for us. The television not working was not a serious concern for us, but for other guests, it may be. Also, the lack of more than one plug point was a serious deficiency as travelers usually have so many devices that need to be charged. We think the shower’s size is too small for most people.

We cannot fault the hotel on cleanliness and the neatness of the room. The breakfast was satisfying enough, considering that it was complimentary.

Would we stay a the Hotel Limmatblick Zurich again? Unlikely. The previous time I visited Zurich, I stayed at the Leoneck Hotel, and although the location was not as ideal, it wins by far when it comes to comfort.

Have you been to Zurich? Where did you stay? What do you look for when booking hotel accommodation?

I woke up feeling refreshed and looking forward to another day of sightseeing. When I arrived at the Zürich HB and asked for tickets to go to Felsenegg, the ticketing guy informed me that Felsenegg is serviced once a month on the first Monday of the month, which happened to be that day. I was disappointed. In my pre-trip planning, Felsenegg was a must-see. After seeing my disappointment, he suggested that I visit Uetliberg mountain Zurich. Since I had no other plans for the day, I decided to follow his advice.

Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

Getting to Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

The train ride took about 30 minutes. At first we went past residential areas, but eventually, it became more rural with some beautiful scenery.

View from the train on the way to Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

Going to the top of Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

When we arrived, I was a bit lost as the area looked like a forest with no signs of where to go. I then decided just to follow the other people who got off the train.

It was an uphill walk all the way, but it was beautiful and green everywhere.

When faced with such an uphill walk, it is always nice to look back and see how far you have come!

Looking back on my progress

Along the way, I discovered that there is a hiking trail in the area. It is called the Path of the Planets or Planetenweg. If I had more time, I would have loved to do the hike.

Planetenweg Uetliberg Mountain near Zurich

I also saw a “planet” next to the footpath.

A Planet from the Path of the Planet

The view from the footpath was stunning and motivated me to go on.

The view from the footpath on the way to Uetliberg

When I saw this sign, I knew I was almost there!

Uto Kulm on the way up Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

The lampposts along the way were unique!

Lampost on the way to Uetliberg

The top of Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

And finally, I was there! I had reached Uto Kulm, the top of Uetliberg Mountain. The view of Zurich from the top was amazing and worth the climb!

The view from Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

When I turned to the other side, I could see the small village I had seen earlier, but the view was much better from the top.

Small village views from Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

I could even see snow-capped mountains in the distance!

Snow-capped mountains from Uetliberg

While I was standing there, I had a friend join me…. He allowed me to pet him and kept on following me.

Furry Friend on Uetliberg

On Uetliberg there is a tower. I thought it would be possible to go up the tower, even though I don’t know if I would have, but it was locked. Lucky! If it were open, I would have felt compelled to go up!

The tower on top of Uetliberg Mountain Zurich

I took a bit of a breather on the bench which matched the lampposts from earlier.

Unusual bench

I also admired the plants – They were gorgeous and bright green!

Beautiful plants on Uetliberg

There is also a hotel and restaurant on the top.

Hotel and Restaurant

I spent about 30 minutes on the top and then it was time to walk down again. I was feeling happy and pleased with myself for making the journey. On the way down I saw more beautiful trees…

Beautiful trees on Uetliberg

I was very lucky; I just reached the bottom of the path when the train came. During weekdays the train stops at Uetliberg every 30 minutes and every 20 minutes on weekends.

I had been disappointed about not being able to go to Felsenegg, but Uetliberg had been worth it!

Have you been up Uetliberg Mountain Zurich? What about Felsenegg? Which one did you like best?

After checking into the Leoneck Hotel, I took a short nap. A few hours later I woke up and realized that it was still light outside. It seemed like the perfect time to explore further by strolling through Zurich.

Strolling through Zurich – sights I saw

I went out of the Leoneck Hotel and just walked around. Next to the Leoneck hotel was a beautiful Catholic church called the Liebfrauen Kirche, a Roman-Catholic church.

Strolling through Zurich – the Liebfrauen Kirche Zurich

I walked down to Lake Zurich and saw many beautiful buildings. The little traffic in Zurich amazed me; I saw a maximum of five cars in the streets. In South Africa, cars are everywhere, and we depend entirely on them. I wondered if it was because it was Sunday or if this was the norm in Zurich.

I saw many beautiful churches. As I walked past the Predigerkirche, the service must have just finished as many people were coming outside.

Strolling through Zurich – Prediger Kirche Zurich

The next church I walked passed was the Grossmünster. It was a huge church with a lot of detail on the door and some parts of the walls.

Strolling through Zurich – Grossmunster Zurich

Strolling through Zurich – Grossmunster door

On the opposite side of the lake, I could see the Frauenkirche or Fraumunster Kirche. It has a beautiful turquoise spiral.

Frauenkirche Zurich

Next, I saw the statue of Huldrych Zwingli in front of the Wasserkirche.

Strolling through Zurich – Wasserkirche with Huldrych Zwingli statue

Crossing to the other side

I crossed Zurich See at this point. As I crossed on the Quaibrücke or Quay Bridge, I watched the people sitting on the edge of the lake. There were also many swans either swimming on the lake or sitting next to Quaibrucke. They seemed bigger than the birds I remembered from back home.

Swan next to Quaibrucke

After passing the bridge, I arrived at Bürkliplatz. The first thing I noticed was the statue of Ganymede. According to Greek mythology, Ganymede was the handsome son of a king. Zeus kidnapped Ganymede and took him to Mount Olympus. The statue of Ganymede represents man’s longing to ascent to Mount Olympus. Ganymede’s outstretched hand is him pleading to Zeus as an eagle to take him to Mount Olympus (Source: Ganymede – the prominent sculpture by Lake Zurich).

Strolling through Zurich – Ganymede Statue Burkiplatz

Near to Burkiplatz, there were yachts for short or longer trips on Lake Zurich. Sadly, the tours for the day had already left.

Not far from Burkiplatz was a statue of a bull. I don’t know what the story behind the bull is, but it was an impressive statue.

Strolling through Zurich – Bull Statue near Burkiplatz

Next, I walked past the Fraumünster Church that I had seen from the other side. Opposite the Frauenkirche was a statue of Hans Waldman on a horse. Hans Waldman was the mayor of Zurich and a military leader a few centuries ago.

Strolling through Zurich – Hans Waldman Statue

One thing I found interesting in Zurich was the number of fountains located all over the city. Some of these fountains were so interesting!

Fountain Zurich – while strolling through Zurich there are many fountains

There were also some strangelydecorated “trees” along the way!

Fancy trees Zurich

Strolling through Zurich can exhaust anyone!

Then I noticed that it was past 21:00, and I realized I was exhausted and started heading back to the hotel. The day had been much warmer than I had thought it would be. The weather left me feeling hot and I craved something tasty and cold! I bought a sandwich at the Seven Eleven at the Zürich HB and an icy cold beer. I went back to the Hotel Leoneck (Leoneck hotel) and had my meal before resting!

The map below shows the route I walked in Zurich during my evening stroll.

When I was planning my holiday days as part of my work trip to Switzerland, I took a very long time to book a hotel for the time I wanted to spend in Zurich. Zurich is an expensive city, and hotel accommodation is very pricey. Eventually, I booked the Hotel Leoneck through Booking.com. The price was reasonable for Zurich, and it offered a free buffet breakfast. Also, the hotel is near the Zürich HB, with easy access to public transport. The ratings and reviews on TripAdvisor and also booking.com seemed to be quite good.

I have designed a FREE printablefor my readers to help you with your hotel comparison and selection process. Join my mailing list to get access to the free printable.

Now, let’s get to business! Here is my review of the Leoneck Hotel Zurich and what staying there was like!

(Please note that this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn a small commission if you click on them and make a purchase. Even if I receive a small commission, there is no additional cost to you! I only recommend products that I have used myself!)

Decor at the Leoneck Hotel Zurich

While looking at pictures of the Leoneck Hotel Zurich, I found the decor appealing. The decor featured a cow-theme throughout the hotel which I thought was very Swiss and so cute! The cow-theme is seen everywhere, the entrance, the reception area, passages and the bedrooms. They are certainly very consistent with their branding!

Here is the reception area:

Cute cow chair on the reception desk at the Leoneck Hotel Zurich

My room at the Leoneck Hotel Zurich

The passage decor is similar – squirrels and pictures of traditional Swiss people like this one:

I was not disappointed in the Leoneck Hotel. Upon arrival, the reception upgraded me from a single to a double room at no additional cost. I was allowed to store my luggage in the luggage storage room since it was still too early for me to check in.

When I finally came back to the hotel after my visit to the Rheinfalls, I was able to check in quickly. I was pleasantly surprised with my room. The room was light and airy.

There was plenty of space for sitting and my luggage.

The room even had a balcony facing the tram stop that was in front of the hotel – just lovely! When I closed the balcony doors the noise from outside was completely blocked out.

Even the shampoos and bathroom goodies featured the cow theme!

Even my room key had a cow design!

At the start of my stroll through Zurich, I walked through the garden of the Leoneck Hotel. It looked like a peaceful place to spend a few minutes reading a book or just relaxing.

The next morning breakfast I had breakfast in the Crazy Cow restaurant. I enjoyed the buffet variety and felt it filled me enough to give me energy for an entire day of exploration.

Will I stay at the Leoneck Hotel Zurich again?

All-in-all I loved my room in the Leoneck Hotel. I loved the hotel, but I would have loved it even more if it had coffee and tea-making facilities in the room. Afterward, I found out that there are more expensive rooms that have kettles. I will stay at the Leoneck Hotel again – the room was lovely, the breakfast more than adequate and the location the best!

Have you been to Zurich? Where did you stay? Are there any other hotels in Zurich that you can recommend?

I landed at Zurich airport just after 6:00 am. Although I was excited, I had no idea I would later find out how to avoid panicking in a new city!

The train ticket country was open, so I immediately bought a Swiss Pass and went downstairs to wait for the train to Zurich.

It didn’t take long to come, and soon I was on my way! It was the first time I was traveling solo for a while, and I was looking forward to discovering more of Switzerland in the next few days.

Arriving in Zurich

The train from the airport to Zürich’s HB (Zurich’s central train station) took an hour. When I arrived, I was the only person at the station. It was too early for anything to be open.

Finding my hotel in Zurich

I tried to use the map of Zurich to find my way to my hotel, but what I had not realized earlier was that I had not saved the maps for offline use! The travel office right in front of me was closed, so I could not get a map of Zurich! I had a small printed map, but it only covered the area around the hotel and not where I was!

I decided just to start walking. Outside was slightly cold but pleasant for an early morning walk. Zurich was beautiful! Zurich’s many churches and the bridges were stunning!

Zurich Bridge with lovers’ locks

Then I decided to just walk in a direction with a printout of the map to the hotel in my hand. Eventually, I crossed a bridge that had many locks on it. Later on, I heard that this was common in Europe and when a couple left a lock on these bridges, it was supposed to seal their love forever!

I didn’t see any street names that was on the map making me feel a bit panicky. My thoughts were running amok and I started thinking telling friends and family about how I panicked when I first arrived in Zurich. At least I would now be able to give them tips for them to avoid panicking in a new city! Lucky I realized that I was going the wrong way! I was quite upset with myself – by this time I had walked further than my hotel was from the station!

BUT the important thing was that I had found my way!

How to avoid panicking in a new city

Fortunately, I have learned my lesson after panicking in Zurich. There is no need for such things to happen! Now I use apps with downloadable maps to make sure I avoid panicking in a new city. There are several options to have offline maps available on your mobile phone:

You can even download specific google maps to your phone! Just open google maps and sign in. Search for the city you want, then the particular location you want to visit. Click on more, then click on download! Voila! Now it is available as an offline map.